Return to Me

Twenty

Shopping with Emily was a success and we were able to find a dress that doesn't look too different from the other bridesmaid dresses and will cover my tiny bump efficiently. Emily had to look online and figure out how big my baby is right now and she said it's about the size of a sweet pea. Finding that out made everything that much more real to me and I'm still incredibly terrified about it. Emily's excitement definitely helped though.

"I'm so glad we found you a dress! Plus this one looks so much better than the other one!" Emily grins as we drive back to my parents house.

I smile and nod, rummaging through my wallet, looking for the picture. When I don't respond, I get her attention just as we pull up alongside the curb in front of my parents' home. The small black and white photo appears and I pull it out.

"What's that?" She asks and I hand my first ultrasound photo over to her. The doctor wanted to make sure everything was okay yesterday and printed it out for me to take home. Liz and Amber were thrilled and gushed over the picture forever.

"My first ultrasound. That's the baby right there." I reply, pointing to the photo so she knew where to look.

She gasps and a smile grows on her face again. "Oh, I can't believe it! This is amazing! And it's your little baby!" Her reaction is everything that I expected. She reaches over the console between us and gives me the biggest hug she can manage in the small space. 

"I can barely believe it myself," I say with a slight chuckle as she returns the picture and I stick it back inside my wallet. Emily and I chat for a few more minutes, enjoying each other's company like we used to before I head inside.

 ****

"What time are we leaving for dinner?" I ask Mom. She was doing some baking in the kitchen, like almost always and I was watching, but helping here and there when she needed it.

"About five-thirty. Your dad made reservations for six."

"Perfect! I can't wait!" I smile and Mom does too, but she seems a little off today and I'm not sure why. Part of me wants to ask if there's something bothering her, while the other part tells me it's probably nothing.

My stomach grumbles and I glance at the clock. It's almost four and I'm starving. The cookies in front of me look so mouth-wateringly good that I can't help it when I take one from the wax paper and bite into it. It's still soft and warm, the chocolate chips so melty and gooey.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mom teases, pretending to be mad.

"Nothing," I reply, my mouth still full of cookie. We both fight a smile and I reach for another one.

"Should we have made reservations for five?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"No, six is great. Just a little snack to hold me over until then." Soon enough, Mom is done with all her baking and we go upstairs to get ready and enjoy a lovely meal together. 

However, Sunday morning was hard. I didn't think getting on the plane and leaving would be so hard because I've done it before multiple times. Tears slowly rolled down my cheeks as we all said our goodbyes. Mom and Dad both hugged me tight and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.

"No more tears, Rosie. You'll be back in two short weeks." Mom says, gently wiping them away.

I nod, knowing she's right. Only two weeks and I'll be back for another weekend. I wave goodbye at the gate and board the plane. I just have to keep telling myself that I'll be back before I know it, and I slowly start to feel a little better.

After settling in my seat, I check my phone one last time before shutting it off and see there's a message waiting for me from Jack.

JACK: Can't wait until you get back. Dinner tonight?